Sensuous baroque
Post categories: Rick Jones
| 12:22 UK time, Tuesday, 20 January 2009
On Sunday 18 January, conducted his own band, , in Purcell's Ode to St Cecilia of 1692. One felt the year had truly begun with the immaculate blazing trumpets, neat fugues and sighing slow sections of the opening Symphony. The chorus were in robust welcoming form and not shy of expressing the British patriotism of 's words. The period instrument orchestra is young, talented and enthusiastic. Brasses are narrow-bore, the strings gut-strung. The violins have no chin-rests, the cellos no spikes, one of them resting on a pink cushion instead of its owners' legs.
The soloists stood behind the orchestra, an unwelcome modern convention born in the recording studio which diminishes the stars both in stature and volume. They have to oversing the instruments and if they make eye contact with anyone it is with the conductor, not the audience. In the old days, he followed them, not they him.
Nonetheless there were some scintillating voices on display. sang 'Thou tun'st this world below' with sparkling clarity, lightly bouncing runs, and an ease of delivery that suggested she had been purpose-built. Her tuning was impeccable at the difficult major/minor cadence which Minkowski shaved gracefully each time. The more one hears of Crowe, the more one wants to hear.
Bass Luca Tittoto showed both volume and beauty in his singing. He was languid in the opening chorus but a smooth, persuasive and powerful advocate for Cecilia's organ in 'Wondrous Machine', the climax aria of the whole work. Minkowski took it at considerable pace, the ground bass leaping round its insistent angles with compulsive energy. //
High tenor showed off his unique skills in 'Tis Nature's Voice', a number sometimes taken by counter-tenors. Dahlin however is still in his natural voice high in the treble clef, an inspiring sound. Counter-tenor was not put off by this incursion into his territory. He delivered thrilling ornaments, shaking his whole frame, though once managed to sever himself from the chorus altos with whom he was in unison on the other side of the stage. Tenor had less of a work-load, but came into his own in 'In vain the am'rous flute'. His tone is warm and well controlled. The line 'wanton heat and loose desire' almost made one blush. //
The Brits started the Early Music movement, but the French unearthed the sensuous, sexy side to the baroque and Minkowski's players showed it here. They know almost nothing of Purcell's church music on the continent. To our counterparts he is a creature of the dance and the passions of the stage. blessed him greatly. //
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